Manchester City defender Micah Richards has named three charities he will be donating to this Christmas after being overwhelmed by the support he has received following another injury setback.

The 25-year-old had promised to give £20,000 to one charity, but after receiving a huge response on social media site Twitter, Richards has opted to hand over £25,000 to four charities.

The City full-back will give £4,000 to the Luey Jacob Sharp Foundation and £7,000 each to Millie's Trust and Ruby-Leigh Jackson, a five-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who needs an operation to help her walk.

Ruled out: Micah Richards decided to give money to charity after being overwhelmed with the support he received after picking up an injury against Bayern Munich on Tuesday

16:36

Sportsmail's John Edwards reports from Maribor on Wigan's hopes of Europa League qualification

Just to add another degree of difficulty to Wigan’s task this evening, today happens to be Maribor’s 53rd birthday, and the celebrations are in full swing.

There’s a giant birthday cake in reception, while the start of a fireworks display was marked by the loudest banger you’ve ever heard.

Club officials are hoping the celebratory mood will inspire the Maribor players, who have to win to have any hope of going through.

If there is a home win here, and Zulte Waregem lose at home to Rubin Kazan, Maribor will sneak through in second place, by virtue of having a better record in the head-to-head with Zulte.

Wigan need to win and hope Zulte lose to progress by a one-point margin.

The news, which has caused a major rift with the UK’s biggest sportswear retailer, Mike Ashley's Sports Direct after banning the retailer from selling the club’s replica football kit next season, comes as Sports Direct chief executive Dave Forsey refused to defend his company’s decision to employ 90 per cent of its staff on controversial zero-hours contracts.

Forsey said adidas’s decision to only sell the kits elsewhere — thought to be the Chelsea shop at its stadium and adidas stores — was 'impossible to understand'.

Laurie Whitwell: Sebastien Bassong has signed a new contract at Norwich that will keep him at Carrow Road to the summer of 2016.

The 27-year-old, who was named joint-captain at the start of the season, said he had been 'looking forward' to penning the deal and is pleased to have committed his future to the club.

Cameroon defender Bassong joined Norwich in the summer of 2012, linking up again with Chris Hughton - who had been his manager at Newcastle - and won the club's player of the year award for a string of impressive displays.

Staying put: Norwich defender Sebastian Bassong (left) has put pen to paper on a new deal at Carrow Road

Rene Meulensteen clearly has a soft spot for Roberto Martinez, who he will encounter on Saturday at Goodison Park.

The Fulham head coach believes Everton with more attacking variation than under David Moyes, who Meulensteen turned down the opportunity to work with at Manchester United.But, importantly, the Dutchman highlighted the credit Moyes deserves for his job at Everton.

'They play more freely, a bit more adventurous,' Meulensteen said. 'Roberto likes to experiment with different line-ups.

'He does like to have an attacking slant to it and it has worked. Look where they are in the league and how they have done against the big teams. They are there for a reason.

'Roberto martinez will be the first one to admit the good job David Moyes has done for so many years at Everton, don't forget that. Everton has always been a good side.'

High praise: Fulham manager Rene Meulensteen is a fan of Roberto Martinez's work at Everton

15:32

Sportsmail's John Edwards reports from Maribor ahead of Wigan's Europa League clash

The level of animosity towards Owen Coyle from Wigan fans is remarkable.

They didn't particularly take to him from the outset, due evidently to his Bolton background, and it turned into open hostility when it appeared Wigan were not only going backwards but were not even all that easy on the eye, as they had been under Roberto Martinez.

Here in a fading light in Maribor's main square, they are warming up for tonight's game with chants of 'lf you hate Owen Coyle clap your hands.'

Laurie Whitwell: Rene Meulensteen believes Dimitar Berbatov will continue his improved form throughout the critical Christmas period - but admitted he will wait until January to gauge his commitment for the remainder of the season.

The Bulgarian striker, who the new Fulham boss enjoyed a good relationship with during their days together at Manchester United, will not be forced to stay at Craven Cottage beyond the winter window but will be asked for full commitment before then.

Berbatov was the subject of scorn from fans for lacklustre displays and his agent went public with his desire to leave Fulham soon after Martin Jol was given the sack.

But two fine performances since the manager change have underlined Berbatov's importance to the side.

And Meulenateen said: 'I will not stand in anyone's way if they want to leave. With Dimitar I had a good chat when I took over and he has been as good as gold to me, looking at the performance he has put in against Tottenham and Aston Villa.

'With him we are going to really focus on the four upcoming games we have got, and from the performance levels that I have seen I am sure everyone will agree if Dimitar plays at that level he will be a very important player in the games to come.'

On a possible January departure, Meulensteen added: 'We will discuss when we get there.'

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet believes Andy Carroll's importance to West Ham is like Lionel Messi's to Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo's to Real Madrid.

Sunderland travel to Upton Park on Saturday, desperate to claim three points against their relegation rivals.

With Carroll still unfit – his absence is widely considered to be the main reason West Ham are hovering above the bottom three – Poyet believes Sunderland could be facing The Hammers at the right time due to the injury to their star man.

Still out: Andy Carroll is back in training with West Ham but is unlikely to feature against Sunderland this weekend

Barcelona have signed up with technology giant Intel, who will have their logo in an unusual place - on the inside of Messi and Co's shirts.

The computer chip firm has signed a partnership with the Catalan giants to be the club's official technology partner, with the 'Intel inside' logo becoming the first-ever placement inside the clubs' shirts.

Spain stars Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique showed off the new shirts at a launch event, along with Barcelona president Sandro Rosell.

New deal: Intel's logo will be displayed inside Barcelona's official shirts (Pic: Twitter/@nikpostinger)

Blackburn striker DJ Campbell has been granted time off to spend with his family and will not feature in Rovers’ squad at Millwall on Saturday, according to reports.

Campbell is the biggest name to be arrested after ex-Portsmouth player Sam Sodje allegedly told an undercover reporter that he could arrange for players to get themselves booked in exchange for tens of thousands of pounds.

Rovers must wait to find out if the striker is guilty of spot-fixing before they can cancel his £25,000-a-week contract.

Sportsmail's Neil Ashton: Brendan Rodgers personally flew to Germany last night to watch Julian Draxler star for Schalke in their Champions League victory against Basel.

The 20-year-old German international is drawing interest from clubs across Europe and the midfielder, who plays in the No 10 role, is a long-term target at Anfield.

Although Steven Gerrard is having an excellent season in the heart of the Liverpool midfield, Rodgers says he sees Gerrard, now 33, dropping into defence as he gets older, with Draxler a potential successor to the England captain.

'It is daunting for other teams when they hear 52,000 Geordies roaring and they have to face that and it will help us.

'I felt an injustice losing my job at Southampton and I am looking forward to seeing some of the players who were there in League One with me like Lambert, Fonte, Lallana and Schneiderlein and I loved working with them.

'I am looking forward to seeing them and I am over the moon they have got international recognition.'

Click above for all the latest Newcastle news

Making his point: Alan Pardew hailed the influence of the St. James' Park crowd

They still talk fondly of Galloways meat and potato pies in these parts after between 50 and 100 Maribor fans sampled the delights of Wigan's culinary preferences, ahead of the recent Europa League tie at the DW Stadium.

There are considerably more Wigan fans here for the return meeting, and there isn't a pie in sight. Down by the riverside, one enterprising cafe owner is doing his best to capture the passing trade by advertising his special of the day as 'Fresh Chips and Fish'.

There are evidently around 1,000 Wiganers here, but most seem to be favouring refreshment of the liquid variety in the main square. It's getting lively, but, as is usually the case with Wigan, it's good natured.

It's a glorious day in this quaint Slovenian city. There's not a cloud in the sky, but it's cold, and it's going to get colder. And I've left my coat behind. C&A menswear beckons...

New man: Uwe Rosler (left) will take charge of Wigan for the first time against Maribor after being appointed by Dave Whelan (right) last weekend

13:25

Fulham boss Meulensteen speaks about wantaway striker Berbatov

'I will not stand in anybody's way if they want to leave. But I had a good chat with Dimitar when I took over - he has been as good as gold to me.

'We're going to focus on the four big games we've got coming up. We'll discuss (January) when we get there.'

Roberto Martinez is hopeful Leighton Baines will be available to return for Everton's Christmas fixtures.

The England international is growing frustrated that he is not yet ready to return from the fractured toe he suffered in the Merseyside derby last month but Martinez is not going to push him back before he is ready.

'He feels great but he is still feeling the injury,' said Martinez.

'It will probably be a couple of weeks. We hope he will be okay for the Christmas period.'

On the mend: Everton defender Leighton Baines should return from a broken toe in two weeks

Laura Williamson: Rene Meulensteen will be no doubt tempted to look to his old club Manchester United for inspiration, which Anderson thought to be on Fulham’s radar.

The west London club have looked closely at Southampton’s Jack Cork before, while a three-month deal for Fulham old boy Clint Dempsey looks an obvious fit given his experience of the Premier League.

Click on the link above for a full guide to Fulham's January transfer window.

Wanted man: Fulham are believed to be keen on a January move for Manchester United midfielder Anderson (Pic: PA)

12:45

Sunderland boss Poyet on his side's relegation battle

'I accepted the challenge and I am not going to hide. It is not always enjoyable but I don’t think everyone gets a job and enjoys it, that is a dream job.

'At the moment I am not really enjoying my life but I aim to make sure I am enjoying it in a few weeks, that is me, that is my character.

'I just need to make sure I don’t lose the focus and I know where I am.'

12:36

Sportsmail's Matt Barlow on the Champions League draw

Anyone else been wondering why the Champions League last 16 draw has been switched from its usual place in the calendar from the Friday after Matchday Six to Monday? No? Well, I'll tell you anyway, since I asked UEFA.

It is an exceptional change due to the clash with the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Bilbao this week. By the time Monday comes around, at the rate of current debate, Arsenal will definitely be out and there will probably be no point making the draw at all.

Sam Allardyce wore the look of a man ready and able to roll up his sleeves and get West Ham out of danger at his press conference this morning.

There is not the element of resignation that followed Martin Jol around in his final few weeks as Fulham boss.

Allardyce did begin though by bringing in a list of all those injured or suffering from illness.

Aside from the ones we knew about, the manager said James Tomkins - who has coped well in Winston Reid's absence - faces a late fitness test, while James Collins and Guy Demel are a bit sick.

Presumably with some sort of virus as well as with the club's current predicament.Allardyce will be desperate for all those three to play, given his defence would be decimated without them. Sounded like they would make it for the vital match against Sunderland.

Injury doubt: West Ham defender James Tomkins (right) could miss his side's game with Sunderland this weekend

The locals seem up for this one. St Gallen cannot qualify for the Europa League knockout stages but their coach, Jeff Saibene, has 200,000 reasons to go for the win.

He said: 'It’s a very important match for us even if we can’t qualify anymore. We want to give our absolute best. We want to say good-bye to the Europa League with an absolute top performance.

'There is no question of us rotating players for the league game at the weekend. We will play with our absolute best team. The stadium is nearly sold out and we have a duty towards out fans that we give our best performance with the best team possible.

'We can still earn 200,000 Euros for winning the game and for a small club like St Gallen that’s a lot of money and great motivation. Maybe for a top Premier League team it wouldn’t be the biggest priority, but for us certainly.'

Neil Ashton: David Moyes is preparing to send Wilfried Zaha out on loan next month after the Manchester United winger's difficult start to his career at Old Trafford.

The United winger has made just one Barclays Premier League appearance since he sealed a £15m move from Crystal Palace.

Despite his raw talent, United chief David Moyes is willing to let Zaha leave on loan to gain more experience at the highest level.

Wanted man: Everton and Newcastle are interested in a January loan move for Manchester United's Wilfried Zaha (middle)

12:02

Football betting should be limited, says former sports minister Sutcliffe

Football punters should be limited on what they can bet on to clamp down on cheating and fixing, a former sports minister has said.

Gerry Sutcliffe said the football authorities and the betting industry need to discuss what is an 'appropriate bet', adding that he believes gambling on the number of yellow cards, red cards or corners in a game does not fall into that category.

The Labour MP made the call in the Commons after six people were arrested and bailed as part of an investigation into spot-fixing in football, including Blackburn striker DJ Campbell.

Under investigation: Blackburn striker DJ Campbell (left) is believed to have been arrested in connection with his tackle of Ipswich's Aaron Cresswell (right)

What a pleasure it was to listen to Mark Schwarzer speak after his Champions League debut last night and witness his sheer delight at having finally appeared in Europe's elite competition at the age of 41.

It was his reward for commitment to his profession. He looks fit enough to play for years. And he has yet to concede a goal for Chelsea in three games, two in the Capital One Cup and the 1-0 win against Steaua Bucharest which helped Chelsea clinch top spot in Group E.

Schwarzer is resigned to being back on the bench against Crystal Palace on Saturday but Jose Mourinho knows he can trust the Aussie when it comes to selecting the team for next week's Capital One Cup quarter-final.

His Manchester United team may be floundering in ninth in the Premier League table, but star striker Wayne Rooney tops the rich list for English footballers.

The usual suspects make up the top 10, with Rio Ferdinand, Chelsea pair Frank Lampard and John Terry and Steven Gerrard all in the top five, but West Ham's Joe Cole is the surprise inclusion, coming in sixth ahead of the likes of Ashley Cole, Michael Carrick and Ashley Young.

Rooney, 28, is head and shoulders above his nearest rival, United team-mate Ferdinand, with an estimated net worth of a staggering £45million. The man England are banking their World Cup hopes on earns approximately £250,000 a week before taxes on his current deal, and also earns through endorsement deals such as Nike.

Manchester United may look at the company they are keeping, in Monday’s Champions’ League last-16 draw, and wonder how much further they can go, given the fearsome firepower of the likes Barcelona and Real Madrid, not to mention neighbours Manchester City. But at least the omens are on their side, following Wednesday night’s nervy 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

It wasn’t the most convincing of performances, but the result was all that mattered, particularly as it was the first time they had won the third and final home group game since 2007-08, when, of course, they went on to beat Chelsea on penalties in the final in Moscow.

In the intervening years, they have drawn with Aalborg, Valencia and Benfica and lost to Besiktas and Cluj. So never mind Douglas Costa bleating about Shakhtar’s missed chances and claiming they should have won at a canter, it’s Lisbon here we come for David Moyes’ boys…

On top: Phil Jones' winner against Shakhtar Donetsk secured first place in their group for Manchester United

The noises coming from Spain today that Spurs could send Erik Lamela on loan to Atletico Madrid in January have been described as ‘pure rumour’ by a source at the Premier League club.

It would strike me as complete folly, to be honest, since it would be a premature and embarrassing acceptance that Tottenham’s transfer policy was wrong, while severely denting Lamela’s already fragile confidence.

I’ve been critical of some of his insipid Europa League performances this season and £30million does still feel particularly steep, but he’s only 21, is definitely improving and deserves more than four months to try and adapt in north London.

We keep being told how he’s struggling with the new language and culture of playing in England, so shipping Lamela off to Spain for six months seems a strange way to salvage the situation.

Going nowhere: Rumours of a January loan move for Tottenham's Erik Lamela appear to be wide of the mark

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has pledged to look after both the old and younger members of his squad with new contracts in January.

Veteran defender Sylvain Distin, who is 36 next week, is entering the final six months of his deal but is set to get a short-term renewal while midfielder Ross Barkley, who turned 20 last week, is likely to get improved terms on the four-and-a-half-year contract he signed in December 2011.

Everton hope the contractual negotiations after the festive period will also include defender Leighton Baines, who is sidelined with a broken toe but is a target for Manchester United.

New deal: Everton youngster Ross Barkey (front), pictured being challenged by Arsenal's Mikel Arteta, is set to be rewarded with an improved contract

Somewhere in that fog and under all the snow, there is supposed to be a lovely part of Switzerland here. I made it a few yards outside, but have since thought better of it.

Swansea's players, meanwhile, have been out of bed for more than hour after their nightmare trip here and are out training. They missed their session last night and Michael Laudrup needs to check out a few of his walking wounded before picking a team.

Michel Vorm has travelled but is unlikely to play because of his knee injury, while Wilfried Bony is trying to regain his fitness after a hamstring problem.

My suspicion is that he won't start, and likewise Michu, but Laudrup has a habit of springing surprises. I saw no logic in him giving Michu a full 90 minutes against Hull on Monday after a five-week absence.

Hoping for a straightforward night as there is potential for Europa League Group A's qualification (Swansea and Kuban Krasnodar fighting for second place) to be determined by co-efficients. It was discussed at dinner last night - complicated.

Road to recovery: Forward Michu (middle, back) looks likely to be rested against St Gallen as he returns to full fitness

Just picture Roy Hodgson juggling it in his office, murmuring his approval, performing a few Cruyff turns to his own commentary, spilling his tea, bouncing wall passes off Ray Lewington as they take a break from the how-to-stop-Suarez brainstorming sessions and smashing it into the doorway of Greg Dyke's office and running off down the corridor shouting: 'GOOOOOOAL'.

That's what's happening right now, I imagine.

Weapon of choice: England have received their delivery of adidas Brazuca World Cup footballs

Matt Lawless: You think he's done? Ashley Cole has hit back at his critics in this new edgy Nike campaign.

The much-maligned defender launches a raw and passionate riposte insisting he's not finished at the top yet.

'Who you calling done? You think I'm done? I'm not done,' Cole says, confronting the camera before reeling off a list of his achievements - without even mentioning the Champions League, Europa League and three Community Shields.

Still going strong: Chelsea defender Ashely Cole says he's still got more to give despite struggling for game time at Stamford Bridge this season (Pic: YouTube/Nike Football)

Arsenal have launched an investigation into why hundreds of travelling supporters were delayed in getting to the Champions League Group F tie against Napoli on Wednesday night.

The Barclays Premier League club had warned their fans to take extra care in and around Naples following previous problems with the Italian side's hardcore 'Ultras' supporters.

Although special buses had been laid on to take Gunners supporters out to the Stadio Sao Paulo, so as to avoid known hot spots for trouble in the past such as the Forcella and Quartieri Spagnoli areas, many were delayed in leaving and caught up in traffic.

Delayed: Arsenal fans take their place in the away end after being caught in traffic on the way to Napoli's Stadio Sao Paulo

Adam Crafton: Manchester United manager David Moyes was present at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday evening and it is understood that he was taking a closer look at Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke during the Spanish side’s 2-0 victory over FC Porto.

Moyes is determined to add creativity and guile to United’s midfield in January and Koke, a vital part of the Atletico team that has emerged as a genuine threat to Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, has been identified as a leading target.

Koke only signed a new five-year contract with Atletico in September but it is understood that the deal contains a buyout clause, which is speculated to be around £30million.

Wanted man: Manchester United boss David Moyes was in Madrid last night to watch Atletico star Koke (front) in action